The Bible makes it clear that guidance is not merely about the instructions God gives by way of direction for our life. Fundamentally it is all about our relationship with him as our Guide.

There seems to be a never-ending market in Christian circles for books on guidance. The reason for this, of course, is that we as Christians (like all other human beings) want to make right decisions and choices in life. We want to avoid mistakes – especially when they often run the risk of major and, at times, disastrous consequences.

Many of the books written on this topic have been of the highest quality and have a great deal to teach us about what it means to discern God’s will. However, in not a few of these volumes one key factor is often missing: they are so focused on the mechanics of guidance that they overlook the central importance of the God who is our Guide and our relationship with him.

The issue at stake is that we can easily slip into the mode of treating God’s directions for our life in the same way as we treat the GPS in our car. The ‘voice’ is steadily feeding out her directions and the arrow on the map is reinforcing them; but every so often we choose to ignore the ‘voice’ and take a different turn. And even though the ever-more-frantic voice is pleading, ‘at the next junction, make a right’ we plough on regardless. Why? – Because at those points along the way we don’t actually trust the guide and believe we know better. Indeed, on not a few occasions, the poor GPS ends up on the receiving end of tirades of abuse from the very drivers it is seeking to assist.

The Bible makes it clear that guidance is not merely about the instructions God gives by way of direction for our life. Fundamentally it is all about our relationship with him as our Guide.

This becomes very clear in Psalm 25 – a psalm of David that is very much about God’s direction through a particularly turbulent time in his life. Guidance-hunters reading this passage quickly latch on to statements like, ‘make me to know your ways’, ‘teach me your paths’ and ‘lead me in your truth’ (Ps 25.4-5) and how they are linked to the promise of prosperity and inheriting the land (Ps 25.13). However, when they approach the psalm from this perspective, it leads to a very formulaic approach to seeking God’s direction. ‘Tell me what I need to know, or what I need to do, and I will carry out your instructions.’

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